Kristi Noem, the former South Dakota governor, is currently under intense public scrutiny for her leadership of the Department of Homeland Security. The criticisms against her are primarily focused on her handling of the killing of Alex Pretti by a federal immigration agent and her oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These controversies have led to calls from Democratic lawmakers, as well as a small but significant group of Republicans, for her resignation or impeachment.
The incident that sparked the most outrage was the killing of Alex Pretti on January 24 during protests in Minneapolis. Noem initially labeled Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, as a “domestic terrorist,” a narrative that was supported by others in the Trump administration. However, this account was quickly debunked by multiple videos that showed Pretti was unarmed and restrained when federal agents shot him multiple times.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina was one of the voices calling for Noem’s removal from office after the videos surfaced. While President Donald Trump has publicly supported Noem, there have been reports of potential successors emerging, such as Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Lee Zeldin, who leads the Environmental Protection Agency.
Apart from the killing of Alex Pretti, Noem’s management of FEMA has also come under fire. Lawmakers, disaster response experts, and survivors have criticized her policies for slowing down emergency response and delaying recovery funding. Even before the events in Minnesota, concerns were raised about her handling of FEMA preparedness and spending, particularly following disasters like the devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country last year.
Critics have described Noem’s approach to FEMA as “chaotic austerity” and “magic-wand policymaking,” where a crisis is needed for action to be taken. Noem implemented restrictions on FEMA spending, including requiring her personal approval for expenses over $100,000, which has significantly slowed down the pace of disbursements.
These restrictions reportedly impeded FEMA’s response to emergencies like the floods in Texas, where officials were unable to pre-position search and rescue teams due to funding constraints. The delayed response led to more than 130 fatalities in the floods, with the acting head of FEMA, David Richardson, being unreachable for several hours during the crisis.
A coalition of disaster survivors recently released a scathing “report card” giving Noem’s leadership an “F” grade. One survivor, Brandy Gerstner, who lost her home in the Texas flood, criticized Noem and Texas Governor Greg Abbott for describing the response as exceptional, despite the lack of timely assistance.
The delays in FEMA payments have also affected local governments still recovering from past disasters, with a backlog of $17 billion in reimbursements according to The New York Times. These delays have hindered FEMA’s efforts to mitigate future catastrophes, as spending on resilience grants has declined while climate-driven disasters continue to escalate nationwide.
Former FEMA chief of staff Michael Coen, Jr., believes that Noem’s departure could help alleviate the funding logjam, as her micromanagement of grants has been a significant hindrance. The Trump administration’s failure to nominate a permanent FEMA administrator has further complicated the agency’s direction, with thousands of employees facing potential termination.
Despite the mounting criticisms, Noem recently announced the release of $2.2 billion in disaster response funds to reimburse states and local governments for repair costs associated with past events. However, recipients have noted that this allocation is part of standard procedure and not additional recovery money as framed in the press release.
As Noem faces increasing pressure and scrutiny over her leadership of DHS and FEMA, the need for swift resolution of the issues within the agency is crucial, especially with hurricane season approaching. The future of FEMA remains uncertain as the Trump administration continues to grapple with its leadership and policy direction. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that it will provide $22 million to help rebuild a fleet garage that was destroyed in the 2023 floods. While this amount is less than what the state of Vermont had requested, officials have accepted the offer due to uncertainty about future funding.
Vermont Governor Flynn expressed gratitude for the funding, stating that “an adequately granted award is a bird in the hand” given the current challenges in the federal government. However, some towns in Vermont are still waiting for assistance, highlighting the ongoing struggle to recover from the devastation caused by the floods.
The press release announcing the funding appeared to have been rushed, with multiple typos including a misspelling of Louisiana as “Louisianna.” Laura White, the director of the Greeneville Water Commission, pointed out that even her town’s name was spelled incorrectly in the release.
Despite the errors, White confirmed that FEMA will reimburse the cost of rebuilding infrastructure lost to the floods, providing much-needed support for affected communities. She also humorously noted, “By the way, they spelled Greeneville wrong!”
Overall, while the funding from FEMA is a step in the right direction for recovery efforts in Vermont, there is still much work to be done to ensure that all towns receive the assistance they need to rebuild and recover from the 2023 floods.
